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Hundreds of engineering students to 'freeze' in Toronto to advance fair trade

January 15, 2009

Hundreds of socially-active engineering students from across Canada, including the University of Waterloo, will raise public awareness about the fair trade movement at a special event in downtownToronto as part of the Engineers Without Borders National Conference to be held Jan. 21-24.

More than 600 students will temporarily freeze into a pose to draw public attention to the cause on Thursday, Jan 22 at 6:45 p.m. in an area bounded by Spadina, Church, Bloor and Front streets. Engineers Without Borders is a non-governmental organization devoted to international development.

"We will be divided into small groups and orchestrate a simultaneous 'freeze' throughout the downtown core," said Catherine Denis, communications co-ordinator and a UW engineering student. "We will help passersby understand how they can contribute to a better life for people in developing communities by consuming fair trade certified products."

Fair trade is an alternative system of international trade which focuses on fair compensation, proper working conditions, sustainable agriculture and local economic growth.

Speakers at the eighth annual EWB conference include Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research In Motion and founder of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and Neil Turok, executive director of the Waterloo-based Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. A number of renowned social entrepreneurs, development workers, authors and politicians will also be involved with the event.

Delegates will discover their potential as leaders in the development community and learn to apply their skills to drive social change in Canada and overseas. It will be held at the Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre in Mississauga. For more information, visit http://conference2009.ewb.ca.

The conference will allow professionals -- engineers and non-engineers alike -- to discover international development issues and learn how they can leverage their influence to make a positive difference.

With 33 chapters across the country, EWB aims to build a world of opportunity, specifically in rural Africa. For further details, go to http://www.ewb.ca.

For more information contact:Catherine DenisCommunications Co-ordinatorEngineers without Borders National Conference 2009Phone: 226-868-1943Website: http://conference2009.ewb.ca.